This recipe is very delicious but it takes a very long time to make it. It has three main layers: a génoise, cream and a decorative layer on top (plus the strawberries!) For me, it took my whole afternoon to make it. But it was worth it! You can find a fraisier in every French bakery and it is very popular.
Cette recette prend beaucoup de temps parce qu'il y a plusieurs étapes à suivre. Moi, ça m'a pris ton un après-midi! Mais c'est délicieux! La version française de la recette de la recette se trouve en bas de la page, en rose.
Pro tip: Grab some scissors for later. You can use them to cut the came to the exact size needed!
Bon à savoir: munissez-vous de ciseaux pour couper la génoise!
First, what is a Génoise?
A génoise also known as Genoese cake or Genovese cake, is an Italian sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and associated with Italian and French cuisine. It is the cake layer in this cake.
Pro tip: You only want the cream and strawberries to be visible on the exterior of your cake, not the cake/génoise layer. Look at the difference between these 2 fraisiers below:
Ingredients for the Génoise Ingrédients pour la génoise
3 eggs (150 grams)- separated 150 grammes d’œufs entiers (3 œufs)
90 grams of sugar (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) 90 grammes de sucre
90 grams of flour (⅓ cup) 90 grammes de farine
lemon zest (optional)
Crème Patissière / Pastry Cream Crème patissière
Ingredients for the almond paste (Marzipan) Ingrédients pour la pâte d'amandes
200 grams of almond powder (1 3/4 cups) 200 grammes de poudre d'amandes
200 grams of icing sugar (1 cup) 200 grammes de sucre glace
1 egg white 1 blanc d’œuf
Red food coloring du colorant rouge
OR: Buy some red almond paste! OU BIEN achetez de la pâte d'amandes!
+ Don’t forget the strawberries! + N'oubliez pas les fraises!
Directions for the génoise:
Whip 2 or 3 egg whites (okay to use only 2 if you are keeping one egg white to make the almond paste), adding the sugar 1/3 at a time. Keep beating (using a hand mixer). Then add 3 egg yolks, a 1/3 of the flour and delicately mix with a spatula, being careful not to break down the egg white mixture. Add a 1/3 more flour and mix gently. Add the final 1/3 of the flour and mix gently until combined.
Put the cake ring on the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Put batter in a pastry bag and pipe the batter onto the pastry bag using the cake ring as a guide. Do not pipe to the edge of the cake ring, instead pipe within ½ inch of the edge of the cake ring. Repeat. You now have two rounds on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes at 200°C or 390°F.
To assemble the fraisier:
Prepare the strawberries by cutting each in half. Place the berries all around the edge of the cake ring lined with wax paper, standing up in a uniform fashion. You will not want to move this cake off that plate, from here on out so pick a lovely plate! Place the baked génoise in the cake ring being careful not to disturb the strawberries. You may have to cut the génoise to size (use scissors!). Brush the génoise with a strawberry spread if desired. We made a strawberry sauce by warming up mashed up strawberries (use the ugly ones!) with some sugar, on the stove top:
Place finished pastry cream in a pastry bag. Pipe a dab of pastry cream between each strawberry all around the cake ring. Then pipe the pastry cream on top of the génoise. Using a spatula spread the pastry cream up and over all the strawberries so that the entire interior of the génoise /strawberry in the mold is covered with pastry cream. Half more strawberries and place on top of the cream. Add another layer of pastry cream and place the second génoise round on top. Pipe more cream on top and spread it smoothly. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes to set while preparing the almond paste layer.
To finish with the almond paste
I bought pink almond paste which I was able to roll into a thin layer for the top of my cake. Alternatively, you can make the almond paste quite easily:
Mix 200 grams of almond powder with 200 grams of icing sugar & 1 egg white. If desired add a drop of fiori di sicilia (an orange liquid flavoring used in Italian baking). Can also add food coloring at this point.
Place the almond paste recipe between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a thin layer. Then place onto the top of the prepared fraisier while still in the cake ring. Using the rolling pin, roll over the almond paste layer to cut it to the exact size of the fraisier.
Place the cake in the fridge again until set (a couple of hours). Then carefully remove the cake ring & wax paper and decorate the top of the cake as desired. Voilà!
La version française
Pour la génoise:
Préchauffer le four à 200°C ou à 390°F.
Monter les œufs en batteur en ajoutant le sucre en trois fois. Battre 5 minutes à pleine vitesse, puis ajouter délicatement la farine.
Faire 2 ronds de la taille de votre fraisier sur une plaque, et cuire 8 minutes au four.
Préparez la crème patissière selon la recette, ici.
Tapisser votre cercle de Rodhoid puis découper un cercle de la meme taille de génoise (avec des ciseaux!) Placer votre génoise au fond de votre cercle, sur une belle assiette (vous n'allez pas vouloir déplacer votre fraisier!) Découper vos fraises en 2, et placer le fraises autour du cercle.
Ajouter la crème patissière tout autour des fraises et par dessus la génoise. Bien s'assurer de recouvrir les côtés du gâteau. Ajouter une couche de fraises coupés, puis un deuxième rond de génoise. Recouvrir le tout de crème patissière .
C'est maintenant à vous de décorer le fraisier de pâte d'amandes, de fraises et de decorations!
So lovely! I'm just watching the British Baking Show and the contestants had to make a Fraisier. One contestant said it was the most technically difficult challenge they'd had. Way to go Clara!
This recipe is delicious. Takes time to make it as beautiful as your's Clara! Great job, very professional!